PROJECT 005-GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Cancers of the gastrointestinal tract represent some of the most common and most deadly malignancies in the United States and around the world. Within the catchment area of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) population of 3.6 million people, GI tract malignancies account for 14% of all new cancers and 16% of cancer deaths. The Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program (GI), led by co-Leaders, Jordan Berlin, MD and Daniel Beauchamp, MD, has been a translational/clinical program within VICC since VICC?s inception. GI remains highly successful as measured by growth of extramural funding, recruitment of talented GI cancer-focused investigators, scientific training of young investigators, career development, high productivity of scientific research publications, competing for cancer-focused research grants, development of new technology such as non-invasive imaging methods, and expanding opportunities for patients with GI malignancies to benefit from translational science through participation in innovative clinical trials. Drs. Berlin and Beauchamp integrate the program members? efforts within GI and VICC, thereby empowering members and the larger VICC community to answer critical questions and generate high impact discoveries regarding mechanisms of GI tract carcinogenesis and cancer progression that will translate into effective preventive strategies, better treatments and outcomes for these malignancies. GI membership investigates the breadth of GI malignancies with special initiatives in colorectal (CRC), gastroesophageal (GE) and pancreatic cancers. GI is strengthened by close relationships with the Jim Ayers Institute for Precancer Detection and Diagnosis (Dan Liebler, MD, Director), the Epithelial Biology Center (Robert Coffey, MD, Director) and Phase I Research (Jordan Berlin, MD, Director). There are 37 program members from 9 departments and two schools. There is $11.7M in NCI funding and $4.9M in other peer reviewed cancer-related support for the last budget year. The program members have 538 publications; 29% that are intra-programmatic and 41% that inter-programmatic. The members also have 216 collaborative publications with investigators at other institutions.